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Author
Topic: Tested + in August (Read 4222 times)

Newbie here.. I test + back in august and was finally coming to terms of just being HIV +..saw my infectious disease Dr yesterday and was told that with a CD4 of 117 that this is consider AIDS..viral load of 168,2402..one eye opening thing he told me that if this had gone unchecked my mortality rate was roughly 3 yrs...but he reassured me that in time the Complara will get my numbers back in line..he also put me on Bactrim so that no infections will set in...this is a whole new world to adjust too...but I am great full that I ran across this website...

Take a look at the people that have been here for sometime. At the bottom of their responses you will see their progression of their numbers after being diagnosed. To say it's encouraging is an understatement!

Complera is one of the drugs I have been doing a lot of reading about, it will be interesting to see how well you do with it.

As a relative newbie myself, sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but a warm welcome to the forums. I understand it being a new world - I have found that it is getting easier as time goes on and I take control of my health.

As many say here, welcome to the forum... and sorry you've had to seek it out.

I'm a newbie too, diagnosed in September with sort of similar stats (I started with a CD4 count of 49 with a VL of nearly 1.2 Million... might have had a year left in me!)... I was on Bactrim as well, I hope you do ok with it - some people have reactions to it as I'm sure you've been told already... I was one of those so they switched me to Dapsone last week... and may be on it all winter.

I don't have specific advice other than to spend some time checking out the "Lessons" information on this site if you havent already... and do what you can to educate yourself on your new condition; and of course take your meds and try not to get too stressed out. You'll be ok. Once the meds start doing their thing and you've adjusted to any side effects you might encounter you'll probably/hopefully find yourself feeling better than you have in a long time. I certainly hadn't realized just how crappy I was feeling prior to starting treatment... it's eye-opening for sure.

You've definitely found a great resource in these forums though - there are a lot of very knowledgable, friendly, and supportive folks here.

Thanks to everyone who took time to reply. 3 days of meds so far and no ill side effects or really none at all that I can tell. Like lostinthecorn I am wondering if how I have felt has just been a new normalcy and I really don't know how crappy I have been feeling. I really had no indication that I was infected let alone full blown at this point. I had an instance of dizziness in August and the Dr ran a CBC and when it came back it was all normal except that my white blood cell count was low (3.5) and was told to initially take a vitamin and come back in 2 weeks. I started to research low WBC count and when I read the causes I knew instantly what was the cause. I decided to make an appt and they ran the CBC again and the HIV test. When the Dr's office called me at work and told me the Dr wanted me to come in to talk about my blood work I knew the results instantly. I have friends who told me they would be pissed off at whoever did this and I am at the point that is a waste of energy and I am not going to be mad at myself or anyone else for something that I did 7-10 yrs ago, that would be wasted energy and would not change anything. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Well! Learned a valuable lesson yesterday. I need sunblock while taking the bactrim ds, I was out in the sun for a max of 30 minutes and my face is toast. Appears it will be sunscreen and long sleeves for outdoor activities.

Well! Learned a valuable lesson yesterday. I need sunblock while taking the bactrim ds, I was out in the sun for a max of 30 minutes and my face is toast. Appears it will be sunscreen and long sleeves for outdoor activities.

Yeah, there really should have been a warning sticker on the label for the Bactrim. Sorry you had to find that out the hard (and painful) way. Sunscreen is your friend!

I hope your immune system bounces back quickly. Honestly, people who are undiagnosed often walk around with single-digit CD4 counts more often than you'd think. They might not feel unwell at all, until they develop an opportunistic infection and get dreadfully sick, or die. I sported a cd4 count of 12 at one point. Not the best time, once I managed to pick up an infection.

HIV and the meds used to treat it carry a steep learning curve. This site truly rocks when it comes to researching your meds and treatment. I strongly recommend perusing your meds, even the "complimentary" treatments when you get prescribed stuff. We're so lucky to live in this day and age, where we have meds that will allow us to live normal lives (whatever the hell that means.)

Logged

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

OK...I have a question. I have been on Complara for a week now. Is it possible to be feeling better this soon? For quite sometime now I have felt like I was living in a fog and it seems to be lifting and I am getting back to my old self.

Hey Zach! Thanks for the reply. I guess a week on meds is better than a week not on them and it has to be an improvement. No wI have been reading articles on Complara that addresses how effective it is if your viral load is greater than 100,000. Mine when tested was at 168,000. I have a Dr Appt on 11-19 so I assume they will do the vampire thing again and draw a lot of blood. I am really out in Lawrenceville but close enough to the ATL.

OK...I have a question. I have been on Complara for a week now. Is it possible to be feeling better this soon?

Absolutely. When I started meds, I started feeling a whole lot better within a week. For some people it takes more time, but the fact that you're feeling better basically means that your body is heaving a big sigh of relief at not having to battle hiv 24/7 all by itself. Enjoy!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Hey Zach! Thanks for the reply. I guess a week on meds is better than a week not on them and it has to be an improvement. No wI have been reading articles on Complara that addresses how effective it is if your viral load is greater than 100,000. Mine when tested was at 168,000. I have a Dr Appt on 11-19 so I assume they will do the vampire thing again and draw a lot of blood. I am really out in Lawrenceville but close enough to the ATL.

Hope you are well.

G

Hello, Greg. Another GA person here on the forums, just FYI. I don't know what your medical situation is, but I personally go to the Grady IDP on Ponce and get meds and treatements via ADAP. If you have any questions regarding that stuff, I can help you.

For the record...I find all those "roughly 3 year lifespan" type statements a bit off putting because, as stated above, you can go a long time with low counts or happen to be unlucky and tank suddenly and quickly. To me, it's like when people ask about HIV symptoms in the AM I forum....it's rather speculative, and therefore kinda pointless.

August is my "anniversary month" so I just want to say welcome and great to read that you're on meds and already starting to feel better. Hoooray for that.

Now, about that sunshine....don't be bragging it up about havin' it so good down there that you're actually able to stand in sunshine. We of the chilly North would love to have a cup of sun. (Now you have a reason to buy a very sexy sombrero as you now belong to Club Meds!)